If you haven’t already noticed, you don’t see everything your friends post on Facebook. Why? Because of this Facebook algorithm called Edgerank. Instead of seeing all the activity of all your friends, you only see a select few (selected by Facebook of course) pop up on your news feed. Usually friends that don’t “Like” or comment on your posts usually stop seeing them after awhile. That’s why you don’t see any activity on Facebook from that uni “friend” (acquaintance) you shared one class with. They’re probably using Facebook regularly but due to the lack of your online interaction with this person, their activity is not hitting your news feed.
Let me explain how Facebook works. Once you post something it instantly appears on your and your friend’s news feed. When you like or comment on something it appears on your and your friend’s news feed instantly too. We all have a few friends in common, do you notice when it’s a friend’s birthday and every time a mutual friend greets them on Facebook their greeting jumps back on top of our news feed, the same principles apply with Likes.
Likes have a ripple affect. By liking your post (in particular your business or blog posts) with your personal Facebook account at a later time of the day, gives the content an opportunity to be viewed by friends who may not have been online at the time you first published the post. Giving the post another chance to be liked by another friend, or be seen by friends who may not be currently following your business or blog page. When they then like the post their action will appear on their Facebook news feed and seen by their friends. Likes have the power to spread not to just friends, but friends of friends. This is why you should like your own posts.
Well there you go- I never thought to like my own stuff- seems a bit narcissistic? But it has a purpose after all!
Amy, I only started liking my own stuff like 3 months ago. I too thought it was a bit wired but useful for growing your community, wanting particular content to get lots of reach.
I have always wondered if this was worth while. Thanks for clearing that up.
Definitely worth while Karin, especially for business and blog pages. You want as many opportunities for your posts to be seen.
Thanks for this tip! I always thought it seemed a bit like you were giving yourself a high five to like your own posts… but maybe that’s just the tall poppy syndrome coming into play!
I know what you mean Rachel, I feel a bit odd liking my own things too.
I’m off to like my own posts!!! x
Hi Bron, Yes! Wait a few hours (or days) so it has an opportunity to be seen by people who may not have seen it previously 😉
Makes sense! But i’ll still feel a bit weird ‘liking’ myself 🙂
Likewise. Alternatively hassle you partner or siblings or parents to do it for you 😉 (if they don’t already like every post heheheee)
Great post. When I saw my friends liking other blogger’s FB posts that I like, I couldn’t understand how they were finding these bloggers and why they were liking them and not me. A few times lately I’ve been liking my posts and a few of my friends are seeing it now too. It’s definitely worth it. #teamIBOT
There you go Renee. I’ve found things on Facies because of what friends have liked or commented and has appeared on my feed. FB is great like that, if its your stuff circulating. #teamIBOT
Yes, but when I like something on my page, it says my page likes it, and not me personally. So does it still work?
Ahh Jess. You must be using your mobile device to ‘Like’. Even if you’re using Facies app and logged in as yourself it still seems to like your pages as the page owner, not as you the individual. If you use your desk top and use FB as yourself instead of your page you’ll be able to like as yourself.
Good to know! I have a bad habit of accidentally “liking” my own posts on Instagram, how embarrassing, and there doesn’t seem to be a way of “unliking” them!
LOL Janet. You can unlike photos on Instagram. Just click the heart again 😉 My kids accidentally like and follow things on my behalf all the time.
I’ve liked a couple of my posts before but it just felt weird.
I know what you mean Malinda. Like anything new we do it feel weird at first, but after awhile the weirdness goes away. Like breastfeeding in public 😉
I have been liking my own Pages posts as I’d read it was good to do on Google+ so thought give it a go on Facebook – glad to know in some small way it’s supposedly helping.
Agree with you Jess? I think of it as ‘who else is going to sell me as hard as I would? – Me!’ and the effort doesn’t seem as … odd.
Yeah I always like my own posts. I learnt it off Chris, the Facebook guru lol. I think everyone should do it, that’s how you get your posts noticed.
In the past I liked my own posts, but I have since stopped because I wasn’t sure it was a good thing to do. I guess I can go back and start doing it again…
Definitely Cathy. Especially if there’s been some time, it’ll allow your content to pop up on your news feed and your friends news feed too. For example you know how you see posts like “Friend’s Name” liked Real Estate’s photo, or “Friend’s Name liked Sydney Morning Herald’s article … when you like your own content that activity will pop up like that on your friend’s feed.